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统帅 (tǒng shuài) — commander-in-chief; supreme command (military leadership)

Definition

noun
commander-in-chiefsupreme command (military leadership)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 统帅。
    Tā bèi rèn mìng wèi sān jūn tǒng shuài.
    He was appointed commander-in-chief of the three armed forces.
  • 统帅。
    Zuì gāo tǒng shuài zhǎng wò zài zǒng tǒng shǒu zhōng.
    Supreme command is in the hands of the president.
  • 统帅。
    Zhè wèi tǒng shuài zhǐ huī le duō cì zhòng yào zhàn yì.
    This commander-in-chief directed many important campaigns.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

统tǒnglead
帅shuàicommand

统 “lead” and 帅 “command” together denote supreme command or its leader.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 統; 统 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
充
充chōng統tǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 統 uses 糸 as a meaning part and 充 as a sound part; the simplified 统 is a later shorthand, so this story is about 統, not about 统's parts.

Open 统 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帥; 帅 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帥 shows 寻 (two hands) with 巾 (scarf), showing a scarf being worn. The simplified 帅 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 帅 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseProfessions & Jobs

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